The kinesin superfamily is an extended family of related microtubule motor proteins. It can be classified into at least 8 subfamilies based on primary amino acid sequence, domain structure, velocity of movement, and cellular function. This family is exemplified by “true” kinesin, which was first isolated from the axoplasm of squid, where it is believed to play a role in anterograde axonal transport of vesicles and organelles (see, e.g., Goldstein, Annu. Rev. Genet. 27:319-351 (1993)). Kinesin uses ATP to generate force and directional movement associated with microtubules.
The nematode Unc-104 kinesin-like protein defines a distinct kinesin subfamily whose members may function monomerically. Members of this subfamily are important for synaptic transport and mitochondrial translocation. Nematodes with mutations in the Unc-104 gene exhibit defects in locomotion and feeding behaviors and, at the molecular level, in synaptic vesicle transport.
The discovery of a new kinesin motor protein, and more particularly, one in the Unc-104 subfamily, and the polynucleotides encoding it satisfies a need in the art by providing new compositions which are useful in the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of cancer, neurological disorders, and disorders of vesicular transport.